Here's one my characteristic full disclosures, before I start my panegyric: the folks at Good2gether don't pay me to say nice things about them. Greg McHale, the founder, is a buddy of mine, and has been a featured guest at the Ethos Roundtable at my instigation. He did talk about hiring me to work on Good2gether, though nothing came of it.*
But I digress.
This is another one of those ideas, such Modest Needs and Freecycling, that seems simple and obvious - but only after some genius has come along and thought of it. Basically, when readers of mainstream media web sites, such as the Boston Globe and the New York Times, look up news articles on a current topic, they can see action opportunities displayed side by side with those articles. For example, along with an article about children living in poverty, there might be items from a local nonprofit, encouraging readers to lobby their elected officials, or to volunteer with homeless children, or to attend a fundraiser for a nearby social service agency that works with children affected by poverty.
The beautiful part is that this is a Web 2.0 initiative - a mash-up of professional journalism and organizational outreach - that any nonprofit can use at no cost. The costs are underwritten by socially responsible corporate sponsors, and the message is carried to members of the public who are already interested in the issues being addressed by the nonprofits.
It's a virtuous cycle, in which nonprofit organizations, mainstream media outlets, and socially responsible businesses are offered a sustainable model for furthering their goals and supporting positive social change. What's not to love?
* Not that I am bitter.
